What's in a Name? That Which We Call a Rose (Book One)
by captainmgh120
Summary: Nineteen years after The Second Great Wizarding War, life has returned to normal. Now it's time for Rose Weasley and the next generation of young witches and wizards to make their journey to Hogwarts just like their parents. But life is rarely so simple and it's full of surprises for Hogwarts' newest students. What new friends, adventures, and romance await them? Scorose FF
1. Chapter 1

_Rose's PoV_

Rose Weasley stood on the misty Platform Nine and Three Quarters with her parents and little brother. They were waiting for their cousin, Albus, to arrive with his family. This was going to be Rose and Albus's first year at Hogwarts.

All of a sudden, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, and her cousins, James, Albus, and Lily were right in front of her.

"Hi," said Albus, sounding like he was relieved to find his favorite cousin.

Rose smiled while her dad jumped into conversation with her uncle.

Her dad and uncle kept talking while they put Albus's truck onto the train.

"I hope that when I go to Hogwarts I'll get into Gryffindor," said Lily.

Hugo began to reply, "Yeah, I hope that-,"

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," interjected Rose's dad.

"Ron!"

Her mother looked at her father quite disapprovingly.

Rose, having already been worried about the whole sorting process, began feeling even more anxious about it.

Rose was about to say something to Albus to try to reassure him, also hoping it would make her feel a little better too, when the steam cleared for a moment and she was able to see other students with their families.

Rose noticed her dad making eye contact with her uncle.

"Look who it is," murmured her dad to her mum and Uncle Harry.

Rose looked over to where her dad was eyeing. She saw a thin-looking boy with silvery blond hair standing there with his parents. She had never seen these people before.

When Rose began to wonder how her parents knew these people, her dad said, "So that's little Scorpius."

Her dad then looked at her and said, "Make sure you beat him in every test,

Rosie. Thank God you in inherited your mother's brains."

Her mum let out a sigh.

"Ron, for heaven's sake, don't turn them against each other before they've even started school!" scolded Hermione, looking half stern and half amused.

"You're right, sorry," Rose's dad told her mum.

Ron then leaned down to Rose and whispered, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

Rose rolled her eyes, wondering what the big deal was about this kid, when James came running back, distracting her from her thoughts. He was saying something about Teddy and Victoire snogging, looking offended. Again, what was the big deal? Teddy and Vic had been dating for what seemed like ages now. Boys.

It was almost time to board the Hogwarts Express. Uncle Harry had pulled Albus aside, probably to remind him to not let James annoy him too much and to write often or something fatherly like that before he got on the train. Rose went to go tell her own parents goodbye.

Rose hugged her dad tightly.

"Rosie, in all seriousness, remember to try your hardest and be kind. I'm already so proud of you," her dad said.

"I love you, daddy," said Rose, "I'll do my best! I'm actually really excited to start start classes."

"Like mother, like daughter," replied her dad, bemused.

Rose let go of her dad and went to tell her mum goodbye.

Hermione hugged Rose and said, "I know you'll be brilliant, Rose. Just remember, be sure never to judge someone by their name and what their family might have done in the past. I know we've talked about all of this before, but now I won't be there to remind you. Set an example of kindness for your fellow classmates, Rose dear."

"Mum," Rose said exasperatedly, "I know! I'm going to miss you so much, mum. Will you write to me?"

"Of course dear," said Hermione, "I'll write everyday if you want."

"Well, maybe just once a week," said Rose.

Rose then let go of her mother and got on the train. The doors began slamming shut. Albus jumped up after her and Aunt Ginny close the door behind them.

"Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus. He and Rose were looking at the other students.

"Don't let it worry you," said Rose's dad, "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

Rose and Albus were still laughing when the train began to move.

"We've lost James," said Rose.

"All the better," replied her cousin, sounding glad to be away from his brother momentarily. "Let's see if we can find an empty car."

Rose thought to herself, Well, here we go!


	2. Chapter 2

_Scorpius's POV_

The train had just started moving when Scorpius's cousin, Aidan Zabini, ran over to him.

"Come on Scorpius, I need to introduce you to my friends."

Aidan was starting his third year at Hogwarts. He was in Slytherin and, from what his cousin had told him, he was popular. Scorpius found this rather hard to believe, being that he found his cousin to be quite an insufferable pompous arse more than half of the time. But who knows? Maybe Aidan acted differently at school.

Scorpius found Aidan's friends, all in the same year and house, of course, to be just about as annoying as his cousin. He was glad that they wouldn't be in the same classes. All they wanted to talk to him about was his father being an ex-deatheater (Because apparently that's really cool. They wouldn't think it was cool if they lived at the Malfoy Manor.) and what kind of dark artifacts he had in his home. After Scorpius had told them that he wasn't even allowed to look at the dark artifacts, let alone know what they were, Aidan's friends ignored him for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts.

Scorpius was beginning to feel worried about where he was going to be sorted. He really wasn't clicking with these Slytherin boys.

 _They can't all be like this_ , Scorpius thought to himself.

If he wasn't sorted into Slytherin, he thought his father would be disappointed and he was sure that his cousin and posse would probably bully him if he were put in Gryffindor…

The train began to slow down.

Scorpius stood up and announced, "I'm leaving. I'm going to join the other first years."

Only Aidan looked up.

"Okay, see you at the sorting," Aidan said, sounding a bit impish.

Scorpius turned about and left without a second glance at his new acquaintances.

Scorpius got off the train and looked around. He had no idea where he was supposed to go when when a giant man appeared and began shouting.

"Firs' years, firs' years! Come gather over here by me!"

That must be the half-giant his father had told him about. His father hadn't said much about this impressive figure, only that he was the Hogwarts' groundskeepers and to keep an eye out for him.

Scorpius joined the other first years who were gathering around this large bearded man.

"You can call me Hagrid," the big man was saying.

Somebody tripped into Scorpius, almost knocking him over.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" said a girl with long, bright red hair.

"Don't worry about it," Scorpius said, regaining his composure. "I'm Scorpius by the way."

He extended his hand and she shook it, looking up into his grey eyes.

"My name is Rose. Nice to bump into you-I mean meet you! I'll see you again soon I'm sure."

And with that, she was off. He watched her walk over to a kid with wild black hair who was laughing about something. Then, Hagrid told the first years to follow him. He lead them towards the lake. Scorpius saw a number of boats on the bank and assumed they were to get in them. He hoped he would get to ride in a boat with that nice girl. Maybe her black-haired friend was friendly as well. Unfortunately, he didn't see them anywhere close and Hagrid was directing him and a few nearby students into the boat in front of him. After Hagrid had everyone safely in the boats, they were off. The boats magically moved themselves across the black water.

All of a sudden, a huge castle, Hogwarts, loomed on the lake's edge.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" boomed Hagrid from his own boat. He was so big that he had a boat to himself.

Scorpius looked ahead. He was beginning to feel a whole combination of emotions, but mostly, he was excited he was finally here!


	3. Chapter 3

Rose's PoV

The ride across the lake was everything Rose had imagined and more. She even thought she might have seen the giant squid poke up out of the water. She tried to point it out to Albus, but it had disappeared when he looked over.

They finally pulled up to the shore and began following Hagrid up the grounds to the castle. It was so much bigger than she had imagined.

"It's so big," Albus said in awe.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Rose replied.

The students sidled up to the entrance. The doors opened and Hagrid shepherded the student into the Hall.

"Professor Longbottom will be with you in a moment to explain what will happen next. If any of you ever need someone to talk to or a cup o' tea, you can always come find me," Hagrid said looking directly at Rose and Albus.

Just then, Uncle Neville (no wait, Professor Longbottom, Rose had to get used to calling him that) came down the big flight of stairs.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I am Professor Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor House! I know some of you and I can't wait to get to know the rest of you in due time. In just a moment, you will enter the Great Hall and we will begin the Sorting ceremony. You will be placed into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. As I was told my first year at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You can earn points for your house by being good students and good people. You can also lose points from your house if you break rules or do not respect your teachers and classmates. Now I know some of you might be worried about where you will be sorted, but keep in mind that you will be placed into the house where you will be able to thrive and find like-minded students. Enough about that. I'm sure everyone is getting hungry and would like to be sorted quickly. Again, welcome to Hogwarts and let's have a fantastic year!"

After Professor Longbottom's speech, the doors to the Great Hall swung open and the students followed the professor in. Rose looked up and elbowed Albus in the side.

"You know, the ceiling has been bewitched to look like the sky outside? My mother explained it all to me."

"Ugh, Rose! You've only mentioned it about fifteen times over the course of the summer."

"I know, but actually seeing it makes it worth mentioning again," Rose said with a little snark in her voice.

Professor Longbottom cleared his throat as the Hall began to quiet down.

"When I call your name, please step up to the front and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. It will then decide where to put you. But first, the Hat will sing it's song."

While the hat was singing, Rose was beginning to feel antsy. It would be a while before Professor Longbottom called out for the "W" names. She just wanted to get this done with so she could at least stop worrying about it. After the Sorting Hat's song, Professor Longbottom called out,

"Alcott, Maria."

Professor Longbottom guided a girl with long brown hair to a stool and put the old, raggedy-looking Sorting Hat on top of her head. The Great Hall quieted down and was silent for what seemed much longer than it probably was. Then,

"HUFFLEPUFF!" boomed the Hat.

The Great Hall erupted into a welcoming applause and the sorting continued without conflict. However, what was really surprising was the sorting of Al's cousin, Joseph Dursley. Rose had only met the kid once or twice but he gave her the impression that he was rather daft and skittish. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Albus looked just about confused as Rose felt. She looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw James shaking his head with a funny look on his face. Well, the Sorting Hat must have seen something worthy of Gryffindor in that large-set cousin of Al's. After that, Rose was happy to see her friend, Sean Finnigan, get into Gryffindor. He would be proud to tell his father.

There was a very quiet but steady murmur throughout the sorting, probably trying to guess which house each student was going to get into, until the Hat bellowed that Frankie Longbottom, one of Al's best-friends, was sorted into Slytherin. The Hall went silent for half a second, then the Hall burst into fervent whispering.

"How could Professor Longbottom's son be sorted into Slytherin?"

"But his twin sister, what was her name… Alice, was just sorted into Hufflepuff!"

Rose was hearing variants of this conversation coming from all directions. She looked over to Uncle Neville. He looked confused, she thought, but trying to put on a proud face for his son. Rose decided someone should be clapping for Frankie, so she started clapping. Neville saw her and joined her. Alice stood up from the Hufflepuff table and began cheering and clapping for her brother.

The Sorting Hat wasn't finished with surprising Hogwarts this year. Once Professor Longbottom had regained some composure, he called for order. When he read the next name on the list, the Hall went dead silent. Rose could have dropped a needle and it could have been heard by everyone.

"Malfoy, Scorpius," Professor Longbottom said with almost undetectable apprehension, but Rose could tell.

In less than a second, Rose realized why her dad had acted so strangely on the platform. She had heard about the Malfoy family. Her father would often say how Draco Malfoy was the biggest school bully and he would talk about how horrible the entire Malfoy family was. Rose's mum usually hushed Ron before he got too upset, but Rose knew her dad had deep resentment towards the Malfoys, she just didn't understand the magnitude. She guessed it probably had something to do with the war, but she never asked her parent much about that period in their lives. She knew it caused them pain.

Rose snapped back into reality when she realized that the boy, who looked like he might be sick, walking with as much dignity as he could muster, was the boy she had crashed into earlier. He didn't seem like "the-spawn-of-the-devil" that her dad had talked about at the dinner table before in one of his after-work rants, (her dad had taken to working more with Uncle George at the joke shop and must have seen the Malfoy's there that day), she thought to herself.

Professor Longbottom placed the hat on Malfoy's head. Malfoy was visibly shaking. He sat there for a long time.

What was going on? The hat hadn't taken this long for anyone yet. After what must have been at least five minutes, the Sorting Hat bellowed, making everyone jump,

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Hall somehow got even quieter for a split-second before everyone started whispering in heated tones.

"How could a Malfoy not be in Slytherin?" were the likes of everyone's conversations.

Malfoy got off the stool, looking withdrawn. Professor Longbottom, seeming to become accustomed to the Sorting Hat's outlandish placements, began clapping. Rose promptly remembered her mum's advice and decided to give Malfoy the benefit of the doubt before judging, and began clapping along. Albus looked over at Rose, shrugged, and joined in as well.

As Malfoy was heading to his new house, the Ravenclaw table (at least the students who were aware of the Malfoy name) seemed to give a collective shrug and began tentatively clapping as well. The Gryffindor and Slytherin tables still seemed frozen and slightly hostile. Malfoy sat down at the edge of the table with his back to the Slytherins.

Professor Longbottom had to amplify his voice to regain a sense of order in the Hall. Finally, the sorting started up again. The Hat was moving through students fairly quickly when Professor Longbottom got to Albus's turn.

Al was beginning to look pale when Professor Longbottom got the "P" names, but his name was called, he looked like a ghost had just walked through him. He also seemed to be unable to move his feet.

"Mr. Potter," repeated Professor Longbottom, reassuringly.

Albus found his feet and went up to the front and sat down on the stool. Professor Longbottom placed the Hat on his head and everyone waited. They were all very curious to see if the son of the famous Harry Potter would join his brother James and continue the legacy. After what might have been a longer wait than Malfoy's sorting the Hat bellowed,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Oh no, thought Rose.

Albus looked blank. She tried to make eye contact but he was walking determinedly to the Slytherin table. Instantaneously, the Slytherin students began clapping and cheering.

"We got Potter!" many of them were shouting, seemingly towards the Gryffindor table. Rose wasn't sure what to think. She was lost in her own thoughts when her name was called. She all but ran to the Hat. She had about a thousand thoughts running through her mind as Professor Longbottom put the Sorting Hat on her.

It was as if the rest of the school disappeared and it was just Rose and the Sorting Hat. She felt that Hat's presence before it started speaking but it still startled her when it's voice entered her own consciousness.

"Ah, another Weasley," the Hat began, "but wait, you are also a Granger, oh how interesting. Never would have guessed that pairing."

"There have been stranger things," remarked Rose. Was the Hat really supposed to be sharing it's thoughts on her parentage?

"You've got a great deal of wit I see," said the Hat. "And you're right. Enough of my musings of past students, although it does entertain me in my old, old age. Where were we? Ah yes. Your wit…" the Sorting Hat paused for a moment. Rose could almost feel it probing around in her brain.

"My, my. You are very much like your mother, but you also seem to be about as stubborn as your father, with a similar temperament." Rose wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. "Hmmm, you have a kind soul, but Hufflepuff isn't right. Where to put you, where to put you? Not Slytherin, although I see you want to make something of yourself. Now-"

"Wait," interrupted Rose, "why did you sort Albus Potter into Slytherin? He said he was worried about being placed there."

"Well, Rose, you will have to ask Potter yourself. It's not my place to share our private conversation."

"Fair enough."

"But, I can see you have an insatiable desire to learn and understand as much as you can about the world around you. You would do well in Gryffindor, but that is a house full of distractions, too many Weasleys. I stand by my choice of putting your mother in Gryffindor, but I honestly feel you would do best in…"

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Hat to the Great Hall.

Professor Longbottom was smiling as he took the Hat from Rose. She felt dazed. Did the Hat say she was in Ravenclaw? The Ravenclaw table was cheering enthusiastically. Rose looked over to Al and saw him giving her a feeble smile at her.

Rose sat down with her new house, smiling as the upperclassmen welcomed her. Suddenly, she remembered that Malfoy, the boy her father had said was all but her enemy and top priority in beating academically, was in Ravenclaw as well. She looked over at him and he met her eye before quickly looking away.

He must be feeling out of place, thought Rose, having been raised to believe that all Malfoys are in Slytherin.

Her thoughts on this matter disappeared when the food appeared on the table. Rose piled a small mountain of food on her plate and made plans to eat all of it. Rose still hadn't figured out if there were any pleasures in life greater than eating.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius's PoV

Scorpius kept replaying his conversation with the Sorting Hat.

"What have we here? Ah, a Malfoy I see," the Hat began. "But you don't seem like your father. And you are definitely not your grandfather."

"I would hope not," Scorpius countered.

"It was so easy to sort your father, but you… no, I need to take more time with you. Hmmm… You would do well in the house of your ancestors, but let me consider other options. You seem hesitant about linking yourself to that house. Not Hufflepuff, definitely not for you… You aren't afraid of to face up to adversary, but I don't think you would do well in Gryffindor. I see that you desire to set yourself apart from your family's name, to be your own individual person. You are also extremely intelligent… don't let that get to your head… The right place for you is…"

"RAVENCLAW!" the Hat finally had shouted.

Scorpius had self-consciously joined the Ravenclaw table, trying not to let the staring and whispering bother him. His father had warned him that people would do this regardless of where he was sorted. Oh Merlin, what was his father going to say when he found out that his only son was in Ravenclaw and not Slytherin? Scorpius had the feeling that his entire family was just assuming he would be in Slytherin like the rest of them. How long could he avoid telling them? He was planning on writing his mother tonight, but maybe he'd wait a day (or five) to write. He was grateful that there was an empty space away from the mass of Ravenclaw students at the table. He could tell that they were sneaking glances at him but he ignored them as he tried to sort through his thoughts.

He noticed the head of Gryffindor house smiling at one of the last couple students to be sorted.

"Weasley, Rose," the professor called out.

It was the girl who had bumped into him earlier. Why did that name sound familiar?

Oh, it was because it was a name that often came up when his parents were arguing. He thought his father might have referred to the Weasleys' as blood-traitors, but his mother would always interject with how pure-blood wizards are no better than muggle-born wizards and that supporting muggle-borns did not make you a "blood-traitor." However, Scorpius thought his father had a special dislike towards this particular family. When he had asked his father who "Weasley" was, his father had scowled and bitterly told him that Weasley was just a classmate/nemesis in his year who was best-friends with Harry Potter and had married that most annoying know-it-all muggle-born in the school who was a teacher's pet.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the Hat announced that this red-headed Weasley girl was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Merlin's beard, we're going to be in the same house. All of the same classes. And, oh god, thought Scorpius, beginning to panic slightly. This girl probably hates me and my family. Who wouldn't after what happened in the war? I already hate everything people associate with my own damn name. Don't look. Don't look. Don't look…"

Scorpius looked at Weasley as she sat down. She looked him directly with a curious look on her face. Scorpius looked away quickly. He didn't want to see the judgement behind her eyes. He already felt as if the entire school was judging him, which was probably true.

Once the food appeared, everyone's attention shifted to stuffing their faces with as much food as possible. That roast beef and gravy looked delicious.

Better eat, Scorpius told himself. This is going to be an interesting and potentially difficult year, especially in the social department.


	5. Chapter 5

_Rose's PoV_

The food was amazing. Rose had inherited a deep appreciation for food from her dad. When she finally could no longer stuff any more into her mouth, the food disappeared. Rose then realized how tired she was.

The Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, gave a few closing remarks and reminders, then the prefects started to round up their first years to bring them to their new dormitories. Rose had heard a lot about the Gryffindor common room from most of her family, but not much about the Ravenclaw dormitory. Auntie Luna had mentioned that the common room was quite beautiful, but never went into detail because she got distracted with talking about more interesting things, such as the magical creatures she and her husband had come across in their travels around the world.

The prefect, Sam Bennett, was telling the new Ravenclaws that the Ravenclaw dormitory was located at the top of a spiral staircase on the fifth floor of the west wing. Once they got there, Rose discovered that the bronze knocker, shaped like an eagle, was the key to getting in the common room. Bennett explained that you had to answer the eagle's riddle correctly to enter. If you answered incorrectly, you had to wait for another student to correctly answer the riddle. Today the knocker asked,

" _I am tall when I am young, I am short when I am old. What am I?"_

"Any of you want to have a go at this riddle?" asked the prefect.

After a moment of silence, a boy spoke up.

"Well, the answer is quite simple really. The answer is: a candle."

The door swung open. Rose looked over to see that the boy who had opened the door was none other than Malfoy.

"Well done," praised Bennett. "And your name again?

"Oh, er, I'm Scorpius… Malfoy," he said with a faltering voice. Rose thought he looked slightly flushed.

"Oh… well... it's nice to meet you," Bennett graciously recovered. "Let's go in!"

They entered a large, circular room with very high ceilings. The room had huge windows that seemed to make the room look even bigger. Rose looked up and saw that that there were constellations painted on the ceiling. There was blue and bronze everywhere. Rose thought Luna was right, the common room was beautiful.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw Dormitory," said the prefect. "This is your new home. In the morning you will find that the view from the windows is, in my opinion, the best in the entire castle, excluding the view from the astronomy tower, of course. Many students do their studying here in the common room, if not the library. Generally, you will find a few upperclassmen who would be more then willing to help you out if you're having trouble with a certain concept or if you need someone to proofread an essay. All of the books on the bookshelves are available for you to read. Some are just novels to read for fun, but many of them will help with your homework. I highly advise you to utilize that resource."

"Where you will sleep is actually through that door by the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. This year, the girls get a room on the seventh level of the turret on the right and the boys get the room on the seventh level of the turret on the left. You will find all of your belongings already up there next to your bed. Now I can't wait to get to know all of you better this year, and remember you can always come to me or Adaline Davies, our other prefect, or the Head Boy and Girl, Oliver Hillard and Cora Stebbins. Now go on and check out your rooms. You will find your class schedule on the desk next to your bed. Okay, now go on!" concluded Bennett.

Rose got to the door by the statute first. Once through, she turned to the right and saw an open arch that lead to a staircase. It was the same for the boys on the left. When Rose got to the seventh level, she found another door with her name on it, along with the other four girls' names.

They went in and found a cozy, circular room with five comfy looking four poster beds with blue blankets and bronze drapes. Rose found her stuff next to a bed close to a big window. She sat down on her bed-which was very soft-watching the other girls explore their new room.

"Hi," she said to the girl whose bed was to her left. "My name is Rose. What's yours?"

"My name is Beatrice," smiled the girl with honey gold hair and greenish colored eyes. "But you can call me Bee, if you like."

The girls lapsed into companionable conversation as they got ready for bed and classes the next day. They had Transfiguration and Potions with the Slytherins (maybe Rose would get a chance to talk to Al) and History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs.

Rose wrote a quick letter to her parents and let them know she made it into Ravenclaw, hoping that they would be proud of her and not disinherit her, and sent it off with her owl, Cerridwen, that Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had gotten her for her eleventh birthday. She then got in bed and fell asleep.

 _Scorpius's PoV_

Scorpius followed the boys up to their new room. The circular room was very blue, and felt open and airy. It made Scorpius feel calmer than he had all night. He could still feel some of the boys giving him side-eyed glances, but he just tried to keep to himself. He found his bed and began to unpack his luggage.

"Hello, you said your name is Scorpius, right?"

Scorpius looked up and saw a boy with dark skin and strikingly bright, blue eyes.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied. "What's your name?"

"Oh! My name is Magnus. Magnus Smith."

This little introduction had attracted the attention of another boy.

"Do you even know who this person is related to?" accused a lanky boy who was pointing at Scorpius.

Magnus looked confused.

"He's a _Malfoy_ ," said the kid, emphasising the word, Malfoy. "His family was in league with Voldemort in the last Wizarding War."

"Volde… who?" asked Magnus, who was looking thoroughly confused. "I don't even know who you are."

"I'm Finley," retorted the increasingly off-putting kid, "And you must be a muggle-born."

"So what if I am?" Magnus shot back.

"I guess you'll figure it out soon enough," Finley said rolling his eyes and turning back to his space.

"Nice to meet you, too," Magnus said under his breath.

After Finley turned around, Magus leaned over to Scorpius and whispered,

"He seems like a prick... What's a muggle-born by the way?" he asked Scorpius.

Scorpius laughed feebly.

"It just means a magical people who have non-magical parents. Don't worry about that though, there are many muggle-borns who have become excellent witches and wizards. This git, Finley, probably comes from a magical family, like me, but that doesn't make him any better than anyone. I'm sure we will be learning loads about important magical people and events in a History of Magic tomorrow, so you'll catch up quickly."

The swift assumptions and judgments his father had warned him about were already happening. As he lay down in bed, he discovered that this encounter with his new roommate, Finley, had made him angry. Angry that the kid had been so quick to call his family out (choosing to ignore the fact that Finley had correct assumptions of his family's involvement with the Dark Lord, but that was long before his time) and immediately devaluing another person he had just met, based on something beyond Magnus's control like heritage. After giving up on reasoning with those issues, he fell asleep wondering why in the world he was placed into Ravenclaw and how he was going to make it through the year.


	6. Chapter 6

_Rose's PoV_

Rose was the first to wake up the next morning. She was so eager to start classes that she had barely slept at all that night. She got dressed and grabbed her books for the day. She left the room and went to explore the common room. She went over to one of the big windows and looked out. She could see the lake, the quidditch pitch, the Forbidden Forest, what looked like the Herbology greenhouses, and the surrounding mountains. It was glorious.

A couple of early risers begin milling about the common room. Rose's stomach growled loudly, indicating that she had better get food soon. She headed out, making her way towards the Great Hall. She took her time getting to the Great Hall, trying to orient herself. The castle was basically a maze. She turned into a few dead-ends on her walk to Great Hall, but she eventually made it to the Entrance Hall and noticed the smell of a welcoming breakfast permeating from the Great Hall. There were a number of students already eating delicious looking eggs, bacon, and flapjacks. She looked for Al, but she wasn't really expecting him to be here this early. However, she did spot her friends, Alice and Frankie, quietly talking to each other at the Hufflepuff table. They looked up when Rose approached.

"Hi Rose," said Alice, looking particularly pensive. "Want to join us?"

"Good morning," returned Rose, not wanting to interrupt the twins' serious looking conversation, but feeling like she should be friendly as well, "Sure. How are you?"

"I'm alright," said Alice, looking over to Frankie. Rose looked at him too. He looked like he usually did, genuinely pleasant.

"I'm alright as well," added Frankie. "I wish everyone would stop looking at me like I'm lost and don't realize it yet. I know both of you are worried about me-and Al being in Slytherin, but I keep telling myself and Al that we need to give it some time and see how it works out before we drop out and hit the road. Allie, don't look at me like that."

Alice's jaw had dropped at his last sentence.

"Oh, sorry. It's just I… I don't know. You're right. You and Al will be fine. I'll stop worrying."

Rose was sitting there feeling like she shouldn't be intruding on this personal exchange between the twins, but Alice had asked her to join them. With some porridge in her mouth, she asked Alice what her first class was today.

"Potions is first for me."

"Frankie, are you excited about our first class?" Rose asked. "Ravenclaws share Transfiguration with Slytherins."

"Yes, I can't wait to finally use magic," he replied.

Students began pouring in for breakfast. Classes started in thirty minutes. Rose waved to a couple of cousins and some of her new roommates. James walked by, looking at Rose and Frankie.

"Are you both in Hufflepuff now?" he joked.

"Don't be a git," snapped Rose.

"I'm just kidding! Merlin's saggy left bollock, you people... Have any of you seen Al?" James asked.

"I haven't seen him today," said Rose.

"I last saw him still asleep when I left the Slytherin dormitory," said Frankie.

"Well, tell him to come find me at some point today," James said as he turned and walked back to the Gryffindor table to join his (and Rose's) cousin Fred.

"I'm going to go see one of my new roommates," decided Rose. "I'll see you in class, Frankie. And I'll see you, Allie, in History of Magic."

"Bye," they chimed together.

Rose went over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down by Beatrice.

"Hello, Rose," Beatrice said over the rim of her cup of pumpkin juice. "Do you know who the Transfiguration teacher is? Is Professor McGonagall still teaching?

"No, my cousin James said there a new professor who was hired few years ago." replied Rose. "Let's go find the classroom. I almost got lost on my way down here."

Rose and Beatrice found the classroom with five minutes to spare. Students were beginning to fill up the seats. Rose looked for Albus, hoping to sit with him, but he wasn't there yet. She sat down at an empty desk and Beatrice took up the other seat.

Professor McGonagall had taught Transfiguration for a number of years after becoming headmistress but as she was getting up there in age she decided it was time for someone else to take over the class. She had had her fill of instructing promising students and babysitting those who could care less about Transfiguration, so the Hogwarts Board of Governors put out a call for a new professor.

The new professor promptly walked out of his office as the clock struck the start of hour.

"Hello and welcome to First Year Transfiguration. You may refer to me as Professor Harrison," said the wizard. He had a commanding presence and looked at the first years with a serious blue gaze.

With a bang, the door to the classroom flew open and two students rushed in. It was Albus and, to Rose's surprise, Malfoy.

 _Why in the name of Merlin were they both late_ , wondered Rose.

They froze as Professor Harrison stared at them and gave an unamused sigh.

"Please take a seat Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."

"I'm sorry, we-" began Albus.

"No, we don't have time for any explanation. We have a lot of material to cover," said Professor Harrison. "As I was about to say...Transfiguration can be a tricky and dangerous branch of magic, so it is essential that everyone shows up to class, _on time,_ and stays focused throughout the entire class period. Today we will be working on some basic safety precautions and a simple spell that allows one to transfigure a matchstick into a needle. Please observe."

The class sat up straighter to get a good look. Professor Harrison picked up a matchstick and placed it on a small demonstration table at the front of the classroom.

"Facere acus," said the professor in a clear and carrying voice. The matchstick morphed into a shiny silver needle which Professor Harrison picked up and showed the class. "Let's begin."

By the end of the class Rose had mastered the spell. Albus had managed to turn his matchstick into a very pointy piece of wood. Professor Harrison, upon inspection, was able to snap the wood in half. Albus was then instructed on the finer points of transfiguring wood into metal. Rose saw that Al's deskmate, Malfoy, pick up a bright and shiny needle and ask for the professor's opinion.

"I wonder who's is better," Rose muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?" whispered Beatrice. Her own matchstick had only turned greyish in colour.

"Just talking to myself," replied Rose.

Professor Harrison cleared his throat.

"We will continue to work on this spell this week. Only two of you completed this spell without fault. Everyone is to read the first chapter of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ and write at least one foot of a reflection on that chapter. This will be due on Wednesday. I advise you to focus on the 'Facere Acus' spell before our next class."

The bells began ringing and Rose began to pack up her notes. She looked over and saw Al saying something to Malfoy. Apparently Al was saying something funny because Malfoy was laughing. She might as well be friendly.

"Hello boys," began Rose. Then right to the point, "Why were you late, Albus Severus?"

"Really Rosie, you had to draw out the middle name card? That was below the belt," replied Al, rolling his eyes.

"We should make a club for students with horrible middle names and you and I could be president," smirked Malfoy.

"Oh, you've got a horrible middle name too?" asked Albus.

"Anyway," interjected Rose. "Al, I want to talk to you at some point today. I'm done for the day after History of Magic, which is right after lunch. You?"

Albus and Malfoy had packed and stood up to leave.

"Come on," began Malfoy. "We really shouldn't be late for Potions."

"Alright," said Albus. "Let's go. Rose, I'll be finishing up with Charms at the same time you get out."

"We can meet by the entrance to the library," Rose decided.

They were almost to the dungeons when an older looking boy approached Malfoy (who was walking in front of Rose and Albus).

"Oy! Scorpius!" the boy sneered. "Have you let your father know how much of a house-traitor you are yet? I can't wait to hear what the family's going to say back at home when they find out."

"Bludger off, Aiden," Malfoy said icily. "It's none of your business."

"Already friends with Potter and Weasley," said the kid. "Better watch yourself or else you'll give your family a bad name."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" demanded Rose.

"Just ignore him," said Malfoy. "Let's go."

They left the third year who was laughing at them and continued making their way to the Potions classroom.

"Sorry about that," started Malfoy. "That was my cousin, Aiden Zabini."

"Your cousin?" Albus asked incredulously.

"Well, he was completely inappropriate to you. Is there no one to report him to?" asked Rose.

"I don't think so," said Malfoy. "I mean, what would I say anyway? 'My cousin is a prick and he made fun of me?' No, I can't tell anyone."

They made it to the classroom with a minute to spare. Albus asked Malfoy to sit with him again and left Rose with an apologetic face. Rose found an empty seat and took out her potions book and notebook.

A witch in long golden robes walked out of the office at the front of the classroom.

"Hello class," the woman said in a sing-song voice. "My name is Professor Summers. Let's do a roll-call so I can learn everyone's names."

After they got through with the roll-call, Professor Summers launched into an informative and thorough introduction to Potions. By the end of the class, Rose's hand was cramping from taking so many notes. Professor Summers let the class know that they wouldn't actually be making any potions until the entire class could pass the first quiz, which was to take place in class on Friday. Their homework was to know the introduction and first chapter of their potions textbook forwards and backwards, which should be enough to make a perfect score on the quiz, according to Professor Summers.

When the class was released, Beatrice came over to Rose.

"That was intense," she said.

"Definitely," agreed Rose. "Want to go eat?"

"Yes."

Rose and Beatrice made it to their next class just in time. They sat down as Professor Binns, an infamously boring ghost of a teacher, glided through the wall and into the classroom.

With barely a glance at the students, he began his lecture. His voice was extremely monotone and Rose caught herself drifting off to sleep. Her mother had warned her about Binns and advised her to rely on books, other professors, and family for accounts on history. With this in mind, Rose began reading through her textbook, which happened to be a lot more interesting than whatever it was Binns was droning on about. Rose did manage to catch what Binns was saying about the weekly assignment; to read through chapter one.

 _Already finished with that_ , thought Rose as she closed her book, having just made it to chapter three.

She said goodbye to Beatrice, gave Malfoy a small smile in passing, and headed to the library to meet up with Albus.


	7. Chapter 7

Albus's PoV

All in all, Albus's first day was not that bad. He wasn't sure what to expect from the Slytherin house, but so far everyone in Slytherin who talked to him had been friendly and helpful. The only hiccup in his day was what had made him late for class.

James.

James had spotted Albus in a corridor as he was making his way to Transfiguration. Long story short, James cornered Albus and wanted to know everything about Slytherin: "Where's the common room? What's the password? Is everyone in there sketchy and mean? How are you okay with being in Slytherin? You should have been put in Gryffindor with me. What is Mum and Dad going to think?" and so on and so on. Albus could barely get an answer out before James hit him with another question.

"I'm going to be late for class if you don't let me go," Albus had said, glaring at his older brother.

"Oh, come on, Al," James said, rolling his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Maybe not for you, but I don't want to make a bad impression on the first day," quipped Albus.

"Maybe the Hat did put you in the right house," James laughed. "Speaking of, the Hat seemed to be in rare form last night. I thought little Joey Dursley would've surely been placed in Hufflepuff."

"Have Mum and Dad taught you nothing? Anyway, Alice is in Hufflepuff and she's very smart," said Albus. _Smarter than you,_ he tacked on in his head.

James let up for a moment, so Albus pushed past him and made his way towards his class. He heard James shouting something from behind the turn, something about missing his baby brother.

Albus started talking to himself, fuming about how he was going to be late and it was all James' fault when he rounded the corner and saw none other than Scorpius Malfoy stuck in an apparent trick step.

"This is really embarrassing," started Malfoy. "My foot sunk in and I can't get it out."

"I'll try to pull you out," offered Albus.

It really was lucky that James didn't see this scene, thought Albus. He would've never shut up about it.

Albus jumped the trick step and gripped Malfoy under his arms and pulled. It took almost five minutes to get Malfoy out but his foot finally came free.

"Thanks," said Malfoy. "I thought I was going to miss Transfiguration completely."

"If we don't run," interjected Albus, "we will be really late!"

Albus was reflecting on this comical event when Rose ran up to him at their meeting place: the entrance to the library.

"Oh, good. You're here," said Rose. "I've already got so much homework but I wanted to talk to you first and ask you about how your first day went."

They found an empty table far away from the librarian's desk. Albus recounted the events of his day and got shushed by a passing prefect as Rose burst into a fit of giggles as he described the trick step situation.

"Well, now I can't exactly blame either of you for being late," whispered Rose. "When I learn a bit more about casting spells and such, I'm going to hex James so bad. He is so annoying."

"He'll just hex you back when you least expect it," said Albus.

"I'll still get some satisfaction out of it," sniggered Rose. "We should start our homework, but, Al, first we need to set one thing straight. Since we are different houses, we need to see each other everyday. So we can do homework together before we go to dinner.

"Everyday?" asked Albus.

"Yes. Everyday," said Rose. "I will not let you get behind on your homework."


	8. Chapter 8

_Scorpius's PoV_

Scorpius pulled out his Potions textbook and began taking notes for the upcoming quiz. He was sitting alone in his dormitory. He enjoyed the isolation and quiet of the room after a relatively uneventful day, but one full of staring and not well concealed whispers from students as he passed by. The only time he had felt as if he was not being judged was when he was with Albus Potter and the Weasley girl.

The irony of it all, he thought.

About an hour later, Scorpius decided to move on to his Transfiguration assignment. He had just started writing his reflection when his dorm-mate, Eli Lewis, burst into the room. He was in complete disarray.

"What happened to you?" drawled Scorpius, speaking in a tone his father used when he found something funny.

"I think I got attacked by a poltergeist," Eli replied.

"Oh yeah, my parents told me that there is a poltergeist here. His name is Peeves and you should always try to avoid him if possible," said Scorpius, laughing slightly.

Eli raised his eyes. He looked genuinely unamused.

"It's a little late for that advice now. Anyway, what are you doing up here all by yourself?" asked Eli. "Everyone is in the Great Hall having dinner."

"Erm, I...," faltered Scorpius. "I guess I just wanted to get a headstart on all this homework and it's nice and quiet up here at the moment."

"Oh yeah, there's loads of work to do already. The teachers must be off their rockers. Especially the Potions professor. Merlin's Beard. Hey, sorry about Finley last night. We've been friends for a long time and his family was hurt by deatheaters in the war, but he shouldn't have said what he said to you and Magnus. It was the first night here for Merlin's sake," said Eli.

By the end of this statement, Scorpius's right eyebrow had risen so high that he oddly thought that it might get stuck there.

"Well thanks for the apology. I'm sure you mean well, but shouldn't he be the one apologizing?" inquired Scorpius.

"Yes," said Eli. "But I'm not sure if he will and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with everyone in this room. I've already talked to Magnus."

"Okay," said Scorpius, letting it go. "I'm going to get back to this assignment.

He turned back to his desk and listened to Eli trying to get gum out of his hair. He couldn't focus on writing about 'the importance of proper safety precautions for Transfiguration' when someone had basically let him know that another student hated him because of what unnamed deatheaters had done to his family almost twenty years ago.

Maybe I should write to Dad, thought Scorpius. He would know what to do. But I also don't want to worry him. He's always so worried. Maybe I'll write Mum. Yes. I'll write her. Though, I should write another letter to both of them and get the 'telling them I'm not in Slytherin' thing over with.

Scorpius pulled out some fresh parchment, dipped his quill in the ink, then hesitated over what to actually write.

* * *

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I hope you are not disappointed with me,_

 _but I'm not in Slytherin._

 _I'm in Ravenclaw._

 _Scorpius_

Scorpius crumbled up the paper and pushed it aside.

* * *

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I'm in Ravenclaw. Surprise!_

 _Your loyal son,_

 _Scorpius_

Nope, thought Scorpius. That's not going to work either.

* * *

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _All is going well here at Hogwarts so far._

 _I've already got loads of homework. I've met a couple of really_

 _nice people. There's also been a few people who don't seem to_

 _like me, but I'd like to see how the rest of the week goes. I'm in_

 _Ravenclaw, by the way. The common room is really neat and_

 _I can see the Quidditch pitch from the window. I've got to finish a_

 _paper for Wednesday and study for a quiz on Friday. Did you_

 _ever have this much homework on your first week at Hogwarts?_

 _I hope you both are doing well and I'll write again soon._

 _Your son,_

 _Scorpius_

Scorpius was pleased enough with the third draft and moved on to the letter for his mother.

* * *

 _Dear Mum,_

 _I didn't want Dad to read this letter because I need advice and I_

 _didn't want to worry him._

 _A first year in my house was awfully rude to me and this muggleborn_

 _kid and one of his friends later came and apologized for him. He_

 _said that his friend was just upset because deatheaters hurt his_

 _family in the war. Should I say something to him or just avoid him?_

 _My gut feeling is telling me to stay out of his way, but he is also_

 _one of my dorm-mates. So, I don't know what to do. I'll patiently_

 _wait for your reply._

 _Again, please don't tell Dad. I don't want him to get sad like he_

 _gets sometimes._

 _Thank you and love you,_

 _Scorpius_

Scorpius addressed his mother's letter to her office at the Ministry of Magic. She was a journalist for the Daily Prophet and also wrote an advice column under the penname, Tori GiGi. Scorpius felt like she always knew what to say to make him feel better.

Hoping he had written the right thing (in both letters), he went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

_Rose's PoV_

The rest of Rose's first week at Hogwarts went well. She had earned Ravenclaw ten points in Charms class for getting the _Wingardium Leviosa_ charm perfect on the first try. Rose's dad had made her practice the proper pronunciation over the summer. She had gotten frustrated (and maybe a bit jealous) when Albus and Malfoy proved that they knew more about Defense Against the Dark Arts than her. They knew all the answers to a volley of questions Professor Thomas was asking. Needless to say, the two of them earned quite a few points for their houses.

On Saturday morning, Rose went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She saw Malfoy sitting by himself at the lonely far end of the table. Nobody seemed to talk to him much and he tended to avoid crowds. Rose never saw him at the library when she was there and he never spent much time in the common room either.

Knowing her father would likely disapprove of her fraternizing with the competition, Rose's curiosity and bold nerve got the better of her.

"Hi, Malfoy," said Rose.

"Oh, hi, Weasley," returned Scorpius, looking surprised.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked, indicating to the place next to Scorpius.

"Erm, sure," said Scorpius.

"How do you think you did on the potions quiz?" asked Rose, taking a bite of toast. "It seemed easier than I thought it would be."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I passed," replied Scorpius. "I think Professor Summers just wanted to make sure everyone would do the reading."

"Yep. So how do you like being in Ravenclaw?" inquired Rose. "I always imagined being in Gryffindor like the rest of my family, but I think I really like being in Ravenclaw. I like being different." Rose suddenly felt self-conscious without knowing why.

"Well, erm," said Scorpius. "So far I feel like Ravenclaw is a good house for me. My whole family is in Slytherin, so I'm not sure what to think."

"Right. I still haven't gotten a straight answer from Al about being in Slytherin," said Rose. "Anyway, do you have a nickname? I feel like I shouldn't keep calling you "Malfoy.""

"Oh, you can just call me Scorpius-" he began.

"Ooo, can I call you, Scorp? Yeah! I like that!"

Scorpius laughed. Rose thought he looked nice when his eye sparkled and crinkled slightly.

"No, please! Just Scorpius."

"Nope. Your name is now Scorp. End of discussion."

"I guess I'd better call you Rose now, instead of Weasley."

"Deal."

Rose extended her hand in an offer of friendship, which he accepted.

A little while later Albus walked into the Great Hall. He spotted Rose and Scorpius and ran up to them.

"Rose! Rose! Hey Scorpius!" said Albus.

"Al, we're calling him Scorp now," announced Rose.

"Oh, is that the plan?" said Albus.

"No, it is most definitely not," laughed Scorpius.

"So Rose," began Albus. "It's Saturday and I refuse to spend it indoors doing homework. Let me grab some food and then we should go explore the grounds. You can come too of course, Scorp."

"Sounds fun," said Scorpius.

"But Al, I was going to try to knock out that Herbology assignment," groaned Rose.

"Rose, live a little."

Albus proceeded to sit down at the Ravenclaw table and piled food onto a plate.

"Okay, but you and I will both be doing the rest of our homework tonight. I do not want to be rushing to finish it the night before it's due," adjourned Rose.

"Fine."

Albus had scarfed down his breakfast and the three of them were making their way towards the lake ten minutes later.

It had rained for the entire week and today was the first day that the sun dared to peek out from behind the clouds. Albus and Scorpius had begun to talk quidditch.

"Are you going to try out for your team next year?" Albus asked Scorpius.

"Probably so. Are you?"

"Definitely. I'll probably try out for Seeker like my dad and I think that position will be open again next year. What position are you going for?"

"Probably Chaser. I like all the action and strategy that goes into it."

Rose had drifted off into her own thoughts, letting them talk. She liked flying, but never really had the passion for quidditch that most of her family seemed to share.

A loud bang went off, making Rose jump. Albus and Scorpius were doubled over with laughter. Apparently Albus had stashed an assortment of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products and had just set of a Bombastic Bomb.

"You must've jumped three feet off the ground," cackled Albus.

"Not funny," snapped Rose.

"It was a little funny," chortled Scorpius.

Getting over the initial shock, Rose grinned.

"Just don't do it again or at least warn me!" she exclaimed, smiling.

The rest of the day was sunny and pleasant. At one point, Albus tried to venture into the Forbidden Forest, but barely made it past the edge before Rose and Scorpius yelled at him to come back.

"But… our parents came in here multiple times when they were in school," protested Albus.

"And they were almost killed multiple times in there," countered Rose.

Albus started to say something but Rose cut him off.

"It's starting to get dark anyway and, Al, you agreed to do homework with me. Hey, Scorp?"

Scorpius gave a small start. He had decided to stay out of the cousins' squabble over the forest.

"Yes?" he asked, tentatively.

"You are invited, of course, to come to the library with us. We are just going to finish all of our assignments. Want to come?"

"Er, sure. You two haven't had enough of me yet?" he asked.

"No!" cried Albus. "Come with us. It will be more fun that way." He rolled his eyes in Rose's direction.

"It's settled then," said Rose. "You're coming with us."


	10. Chapter 10

_Neville's PoV_

On Saturday evening, Neville sat down with a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey at his desk in his office at his home in Hogsmeade. The Longbottom family moved from their flat above the Leaky Cauldron when Hannah completed her training to become a healer and got a job at Hogwarts as Matron of the hospital wing.

What a week, thought Neville, taking a swig of his firewhiskey. I need to talk to Harry.

He got some parchment and began writing.

* * *

Dear Harry,

My , was this first week at Hogwarts one to be remembered.

If you are free tomorrow night, could you meet me at the Hog's Head?

I would love to catch up (it's been too long) and I need to get some stuff

off my chest.

Send me a yes or no reply and maybe I'll see you in Hogsmeade tomorrow.

I hope you, Ginny, and Lily are doing well.

Your friend,

Neville L.

* * *

Nevilled downed the last of his whiskey, finished grading a few assignments from his fifth year students, then got ready for bed.

As he was getting into bed, Hannah walked into the room looking flustered.

"Busy day. Quite a busy day in the hospital wing. There were wild children, fifth years, dueling in the halls, I'm surprised that not more than five people were hit." Hannah plopped down at her vanity and began to let her hair down.

"Oh dear," began Neville. "Can you tell who started it?"

"It was two boys, one from Hufflepuff and one from Ravenclaw. They were having some argument about who would beat the other in a duel. It got physical. Their friends got involved, which is why five students were carted to the hospital wing."

"Just another day at Hogwarts. Glad it wasn't one of the boys from my house. I don't have the energy to deal with it at the end of this week."

"You okay?" Hannah asked. "You do look a bit worn out."

"I'm just tired. This week was tougher than I had initially thought it was going to be," replied Neville. "I might go see Harry tomorrow night. I'd like to catch up with him."

"Sounds good. You're worried about Frankie, aren't you." said Hannah, brushing out her long blonde hair. "You know, I think Frankie is going to be okay. I've talked to him a few times this week and he seems happy. I'm so proud of the twins. Don't get me wrong, I do have concerns. I worried about how Alice and Frankie are going to do being separated for a prolonged amount of time for the first time since birth. I'm also worried that a few objectionable students will treat Frankie badly, but he's got to learn to stand up for himself. I trust him."

"I trust him as well," said Neville. "I just can't help but worrying about him. I love you Hannah. And Merlin's beard, I miss the kids being here at home with us."

"You are the sweetest man I know," smirked Hannah. "But, there _are_ perks to having no kids in the house."

Harry's reply awoke Neville the next morning. He let Harry's owl in through the window and untied the response from the owl's leg. Harry would not be on duty tonight so he agreed to meet Neville at eight that night. Neville quietly left Hannah in their bed and went down to the kitchen to finish grading assignments and maybe scrounging up some food.

Harry was already in the pub when Neville walked in.

"Neville!" cried Harry, rushing in for a hug. "A whole summer is definitely too long to be away from us! How was your holiday in The States?"

"Very hot," replied Neville, beaming. "But I was able to sneak numerous samples past customs. I'm trying to grow them in my greenhouse here in Hogsmeade."

"How interesting," Harry said with sly grin. He went and grabbed two bottles of firewhiskey from the bar counter. "So, quite a week at Hogwarts I hear."

"That's definitely one way to put it," agreed Neville. "Has Albus written to you yet?"

"Yes, got the letter on Friday," said Harry. "I had a feeling that the delayed letter was confirming my suspicions about his sorting."

"You thought he was going to be placed into Slytherin?" asked Neville. He felt that this was surprising, coming from Gryffindor's most famed student.

"Yeah, I'll tell you something that I've only ever told to Ginny and Albus. I trust that you aren't going to pass this along as common knowledge," said Harry. "The Sorting Hat had half a mind to put me in Slytherin in our sorting, but I told it that I did not want to be in Slytherin, so it put me in Gryffindor instead."

Neville hadn't expected Harry to say this. He consciously closed his mouth.

"Anyway," continued Harry. "I think Al will be brilliant in Slytherin."

"I'm sure you're right," mused Neville. "Did he tell you that Frankie is also in Slytherin?"

"No," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "He did not."

"Well, I didn't see it coming. But I guess that Hat knows what it's doing. I'm also glad that Albus is there with him. Slytherin gained two fine boy, didn't it?

"Definitely."

They broke into other topics. Hannah becoming Matron of Hogwarts' hospital wing. Harry being very busy now, having recently been promoted to Head of the Auror Department. Lily's newest hobby: Mario Kart.

Neville started to feel a bit sleepy and checked his watch.

"Blimey, Harry!" he exclaimed, his brain felt slow. It's nearly 1:30...in the morning...I was supposed to get home and...and.. grade stuff. Come up… with a… lesson plan." He tried to stand up, but knocked into the table in front of him and fell back into his seat.

"Are you sure you can make it back home? Let alone come up with a lesson plan?" questioned Harry. Neville had had quite a few more drinks than Harry.

"Don't question my methods, Potter," Neville guffawed. He began to sway in his seat.

"I'm walking you home, friend," Harry sighed.

"How come...you're always...less...drunk than me?" asked Neville, trying very hard to get the words out right.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" boomed Harry.

Neville began laughing so hard that he fell out of his seat and onto the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

_Scorpius's PoV_

(Week two)

* * *

 _Dear Scorpius,_

 _Thank you for your letter. It was good to hear from you. We are both very proud of you for making it into Ravenclaw. You were always asking questions when you were young, wanting to know everything. And as you grew up, you were never NOT reading something and telling me and your mother everything you learned. I was concerned that you might have felt pressure from our family's ties to the Slytherin house, but I want to stress to you that I harbour no disappointment to your sorting. Your mother is telling me to tell you that she seconds that statement._

 _In my opinion, it's about time a Malfoy went into another house. Again, I am very proud of you. I believe Ravenclaw will help you reach your full potential. We can really stick it to my father. (Actually don't worry about him, I'll deal with him myself.)_

 _I'm also glad you met some nice people. Care to let me know who they are?_

 _I hope that git of a cousin you have isn't bothering you. I overheard him this summer talking to his father about inducting you into his group once you were in Slytherin. I like to think that I've grown up enough since my school days to see that Aidan Zabini and his friends are up to no good and they will most-likely make a bad impression on society. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Just stay out of his way. I believe that in a couple of years, you will surpass him in stature, strength, and magical ability, then you can do whatever you like with him. He will leave you alone then. Little git._

 _You keep being yourself and don't let anyone's words get to you._

 _Please write me again soon._

 _Love,_

 _Dad_

* * *

Scorpius finished his father's letter and placed it face down on the table in the Great Hall. Rose was sitting across from him reading her own letter, from her mother. He was relieved that his father wasn't disappointed in his sorting, he just didn't want anyone to see his father's words. His mother had written back as well, but Scorpius decided to wait until he was alone to read it.

Rose finished her letter and helped herself to seconds. Her friend, Beatrice, was sitting next to her.

"Rose," she started. "I don't think I've ever seen an eleven year old, boy or girl, eat so much bacon in one sitting. Like how? Where does it go?"

The look of genuine concern on Beatrice's face made Scorpius laugh.

"I don't know," said Rose, glancing at Scorpius. "I just really like food. Everyone says I'm just like my father when it comes to food. So I guess it's hereditary."

Scorpius smirked at her.

"You better not be judging me, Malfoy," said Rose, rolling her eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Weasley," quipped Scorpius. He was finding Rose to be a sparky and hilarious person. She was also really easy to be around.

"We should probably head to class now," said Beatrice. "Do you think we'll get grades back on the assignment from last week?"

"It's possible," said Scorpius, stuffing his letters into his book bag.

A lot of students had been talking about how hard Transfiguration was, but to Scorpius, he found the challenge to be fun. After today's class, he decided again that Transfiguration was a really cool form of magic. They had learned how to reverse the Facere Acus spell. Reversing the spell proved to be a lot harder than the original incantation, but Scorpius was able to get it in just a few tries. Albus had become his permanent Transfiguration deskmate and was struggling to get the metal to change it's properties back to wood.

"This stupid-" Albus had growled through his teeth. "How did you get it so fast?"

"Try concentrating on the end result," said Scorpius. "It help when I envisioned the whole process before I did the spell."

"That's what I thought I was doing," snapped Albus. He looked very frustrated.

Scorpius looked over to where Rose and Beatrice were practicing the spell and saw that Rose had just successfully done the spell. She looked up, smiling. Scorpius gave her the thumbs up and picked up his own matchstick and flashed it before her. She began to smile, but then quickly looked away, face glazing over with apparent concentration.

Albus's cry of exasperation made Professor Harrison come over to their desk. After five minutes of instruction, Albus was having more luck with the spell. It wasn't exactly a match, per se, but it was a piece of wood.

After the class, Albus made a vow to have the spell perfected by the next Transfiguration class. Scorpius offered to help later and Rose told him that he should take a break so he wouldn't over do it. Albus had told her that she was one talk and proceeded to practice the spell on their way to Potions.

By the end of the night, Albus had finally mastered the spell. When he cast the spell, he did it so forcefully that when the needle turned to a match, it caught on fire and burned his hand. That was also when Albus, Rose, and Scorpius got kicked out of the library and told to go back to their houses.

"See, I told you I would get it," grinned Albus.

"You also burned yourself," said Rose, sounding unimpressed.

"I think it was wicked when the match actually lit on him fire," said Scorpius. "How did you do that, Al?"

"No idea."

Back in his dormitory, Scorpius climbed into his four-poster bed and closed the bronze drapes around him. He sat against the headboard and opened the letter from his mother.

* * *

 _My dear Scorpius,_

 _Thank you for both of your letters. And I won't share this with your dad unless you want me to. As your dad said, he and I are very proud and excited for you in your sorting and for you beginning your first year at Hogwarts._

 _To address your situation… Unfortunately there will be a number of people that will be rude or mean to you. Or not you specifically, but they will be mean to you because of your name. Our family name, Malfoy._

 _Because of the Malfoys' ties to the Dark Lord during the war, people will attack the name because their emotional wounds from the war have never healed and our name tends to be a reminder of pain to some people._

 _That doesn't mean that they are right to be rude to you, but that should give you some insight as to why they act as they do. What you can do is continue to stand up for yourself and show them the kind of person you are. Prove them all wrong._

 _Don't seek out confrontation, but if people call you out just because of your name, tell them not to judge you based on the past actions of your parents or grandparents. You are your own person. You get the priviledge to make your own choices._

 _You have an excellent head on your shoulders, so trust your gut and your intuition._

 _Also, if anything ever gets out of hand, go immediately to your professors. They are there to help._

 _I love you so so much, my son. And know that your dad loves you too. We both miss you immensely. Do not hesitate to write to me about anything._

 _Much love,_

 _Mum_

* * *

Scorpius put the letter down. He was thinking that his mum's reply would help him know what to do or at least what to feel. He felt more confused about his family than he ever had in his life. What exactly had his family done during the war? He always felt like his parents were open and honest with him and his questions about the war. From what his mum and dad had told him, he knew that the Malfoy family had put their trust in the wrong side and that they were manipulated into doing bad things, in fear of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. He knew that Lord Voldemort had used his father for certain tasks, but his father never told him exactly what he was made to do, and Scorpius had never thought to ask. Scorpius wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. He loved his dad just as his was. A reserved and intelligent man who took a genuine interest in his wife and son. The man who liked to share and talk about his studies and discoveries in alchemy. The man who'd play quidditch with Scorpius every other day.

Scorpius wasn't sure what to think or feel and resolved that he would figure out what to do about this another day. He put his mother's letter under his pillow and fell into a restless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note:_

Hey guys. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've added a chapter! I just started grad school, and that has basically taken over my life. I swear I haven't forgotten about this story! I will finish this story (book 1) but it will be a slow process. I also have this goal to write the Silver Trio throughout their years at Hogwarts and even post-Hogwarts. So just hang with me as I try to get through grad school. I haven't left this fic. I promise! Thank you all for your support! 3

 _Rose's PoV_

The first two months at Hogwarts passed quickly for Rose. She made loads of friends but her closest were Al, Scorp, and Beatrice.

On the 30th of October, Rose was walking through the halls towards the Charms classroom when she spotted Albus and James up ahead, whispering to each other in an alcove along the wall. They hadn't seen her, but she wished she had her uncle's invisibility cloak at the moment. However, there were many students passing through the hall so her footsteps were muffled as she tiptoed along the wall to a good hiding place behind an engaged column. She had to get James to teach her some stealth spells for future reference.

". . . taking place in the Gryffindor common room tomorrow night. I'll sneak you in." James's voice floated over the sounds of people passing.

"Okay, I will head to the seventh floor around nine tomorrow night," came Albus's voice.

"Yeah, I'll know where to find you." Rose could just imagine James winking at Al, probably referring to that amazing map he had nicked from his dad's desk last year.

"Right. I've got to get to class."

"Just don't tell anyone."

Rose backed up quickly and decided to double back and take a different route to Charms.

* * *

Rose slid into her seat next to Scorpius, strands of red hair coming loose from her long braid, having ran to class to make up time on her detour.

"What were you doing?" whispered Scorpius.

"James is up to something secret with Albus," explained Rose. "Want to help me find out what they're doing?

"Of course."

"James said something about the Gryffindor common room and Albus said he would meet James on the seventh floor tomorrow night."

"Okay. Maybe we can intercept Al and-" Scorpius was cut off by Professor Patil as she called the class to attention.

"After class," Rose murmured in Scorpius's ear.

Scorpius gave a slight nod and then they returned their attention to the class.

"So I was thinking during class that the most obvious reason for Al to do something with James tomorrow night would be that it's Halloween," Scorpius stated on the way to Herbology.

"That much is obvious," said Rose.

Scorpius continued,

"So we can either corner him before or after Defense Against the Dark Arts or try to find him later tonight."

"Let's catch him before class."

* * *

The first years were learning how to dry nettle leaves in Herbology today.

"Dried nettles are a key ingredient in the Herbicide Potion, which you will learn how to brew in your sixth year Potions class, if you should choose to continue on with Potions and take the advanced course," Professor Longbottom informed the class. "These leaves we are drying today will actually be used by the sixth years this term. Can anyone tell me what common potion uses _fresh_ nettles?"

Both Rose and Scorpius's hands shot up into the air. Professor Longbottom sighed and gave his head a small shake and said,

"I really need to bring a coin to flip when you two are in class. Scorpius. Rose, you answered last time."

"Fresh nettled are used in the Cure for Boils potion," answered Scorpius.

"Correct!"

Rose felt that Scorpius's voice was airing too much on the pompous side, so she stomped on his foot as Professor Longbottom turned around to get something.

"Ouch, Rose!" hissed Scorpius, wincing. "What was that for?

"You only knew the answer because Professor Summers said we be making that potion next week."

"Well, isn't that the only reason you know the ingredients already?"

Rose turned to her nettles and made a snarling sound. A few minutes later, Rose turned back to Scorpius.

"Since you're such a genius," jabbed Rose. "Have you come up with a way to intercept Al?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," drawled Scorpius. "We get to class before him and wait outside the door."

"That's so simple, it just might work."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You two," called Professor Longbottom. "Please stop the whispering and get back to your work."

Rose felt her ears getting warm, knowing they had just turned bright red. She looked over at her classmates and saw Beatrice, raising her eyebrows in question, sea green eyes flickering with curiosity. Rose gave her a look that communicated, "I'll tell you later." She then glanced at Scorpius. His head was hung, messy blond hair falling in his face, concentrating on drying the nettle leaves. Rose went back to her own leaves, determined to dry more than Scorpius. However, at the end of class, she had done an equal amount for all she could tell.

"These look great, class, and I'm sure Professor Summers and the sixth years will be most grateful," said Professor Longbottom. "Have a good rest of the week. Oh and Mr. O'Ryan, you need to turn in that assignment that was due last week. Bring it by my office tomorrow."

Scorpius chuckled while he and Rose quickly cleaned up their station and all but ran out of Greenhouse One. Once out, they shot off to the castle.

"Wait," started Rose. "I'll need lunch if we are to interrogate Al."

"Fine. Let's just grab something and eat it outside the classroom," agreed Scorpius, turning towards the Great Hall.

They stuffed their hands with as many finger sandwiches as possible and left to go wait outside their classroom.

As they were eating their lunch along the wall, Professor Dean Thomas appeared from around the corner. He looked about as surprised as Rose felt.

"What are you too doing outside my classroom forty-five minutes before class eating sandwiches?" questioned Professor Thomas. "Surely you know that most students dine in the Great Hall." Professor Thomas was smiling with a combined look of humor, disbelief, and wonder.

"I'm sorry, Professor Thomas," said Rose. "We wanted to catch Albus before class."

"So we brought lunch with us," added Scorpius.

"You two do remember that Albus Potter perpetually shows up to class with sixty seconds to spare?"

Rose turned to Scorpius with slitted eyes.

"Er, yeah… doesn't hurt to be ready for the unexpected," Scorpius said half-heartedly.

"Alright. I've got to get set up for class. I hope you have a successful mission. Just don't get into trouble and don't be late for class," said Professor Thomas. His tall dark figure turned and entered his classroom.

"Oh man, I thought he was going to take points away," said Scorpius.

"He wouldn't do that for sandwiches," said Rose, thinking about all the times she had been to family parties and Mr. Dean being there, laughing at all of the pranks Uncle George pulled. "Anyway, do you seriously think we can get Al to tell us what he's up to in under sixty seconds?

"Maybe. We could threaten him… on second thought, maybe persuade is a better word… we could tell him that we won't proofread his papers or check his homework or something."

"Ooo, so evil. I like it."

Half an hour later, Rose had just started to explain to Scorpius what television series were all about when Albus rounded the corner.

"Yes! He's here!"

"Five minutes early!"

Albus wasn't sure who said what because they rushed him and had him backed up against the wall opposite the classroom.

"So Al, anything you'd like to tell us?" asked Rose.

"Any secrets that you are just itching to share?" questioned Scorpius.

"No, what's all this about? And nice to see you too," Albus said with a huff.

"Lies. I heard you and James in the hall this morning. Something's happening in the Gryffindor common room tomorrow night."

"And we want in."

Albus was caught.

"But how'd...James said...really?" sputtered Albus.

"Yeah Al," said Rose. "What's going on?"

"I'm not supposed to tell."

"If it's a Halloween thing in the Gryffindor common room, I'll just get Roxanne or Fred to tell me."

"Fine, but James will kill me," said Albus, looking guilty, but still excited to tell his best friends. "There's a "secret" masquerade party tomorrow night. It's a Gryffindor tradition says James. He says that Gryffindor has the best party in the whole school, which was why he was going to try to sneak me in."

"Were you even thinking about inviting us?" Rose asked, brazenly.

"I wasn't sure if James could get all three of us in…"

"Well then, either you get us in or Scorp and I won't check your homework or proofread your essays."

Albus looked at Scorpius for support. None of which was received. Scorpius was staring down his nose at Albus.

"That's Scorpius's idea of persuasion," said Rose. "My own idea was more physical. But Scorpius's stipulation is probably more effective."

"She's right, you know," Scorpius said disparagingly.

"Okay. Okay. You two can come along and we'll see if we all can get in together. You'll need to bring your own mask though."

"That should be easy enough to make," said Rose. "And besides that, I want to see what's so amazing about the Gryffindor common room that has everyone and my mother raving." Rose felt a sense of accomplishment wash over her, spun around on her heels, and walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts.

* * *

Rose and Scorpius stayed up late that night in the Ravenclaw common room, making masks. Scorpius had found a book with instructions on how to magically emboss various materials. It was a combination of charms and transfiguration.

"So why did you laugh when Professor Longbottom called out Finley O'Ryan on him not turning in his assignment?" Rose's question popped out before she realized she was saying it aloud.

Scorpius grinned, but then his face fell slightly.

"I guess I felt like he deserved some humiliation, but now I don't know. He and I don't really get along."

"Why's that?"

"He blames me for making his family miserable, even though I have no idea who his family is…"

"That's really mean." Rose wondered how anyone could blame an eleven year old for their misery.

"It's because I'm a Malfoy, I guess. I just ignore him for the most part, but I probably shouldn't have laughed at him…" Scorpius's voice trailed off and he turned to gaze out the window into the night sky. His cheeks looked flushed.

"Oh," Rose said lamely. It grew quiet between them.

"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to," she added.

"No, it's okay," Scorpius assured her. "You and Al are some of the few people who actually talk to me. Have you noticed how most people avoid me?"

"Not really. But I'm probably not paying attention to what the other students are doing." Rose felt uncomfortable. More silence surrounded them.

"I don't know what exactly my family did in the war, I know it wasn't good. But why does it need to affect me? I'm more than a reputation. I've got to be." Scorpius sounded like he was thinking more out loud than asking Rose. She didn't reply and they continued to add on to their masks.

"You know," Rose broke in the silence. "We don't have to go to the Halloween party tomorrow if you don't want to go. We could just do something here."

"No! No, I want to go with you and Al. I don't want to avoid people just cause they don't like me."

"They don't even know you. How could they say anything anyway," Rose added. But then she remembered some of the things she had overheard her parents saying late at night after they thought she was asleep.

Scorpius's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"We'll be wearing masks," he said. "Honestly, I'm more worried about Professor Longbottom finding us in his house."

They finished their masks and went to bed.


End file.
